This is a post I’ve been meaning to write for years. As in at least three of them. Haha! Time flies. Our Elsa girl is almost four and I can hardly remember life before her.
She is a F1B goldendoodle, which means both of her parents were goldendoodles as well. This also means that she does not shed – at all. The downside is that she must be groomed. We board her when we travel and always have her bathed on pick up day (I learned that the hard way) but she has been known to get filthy dirty in the yard, so bringing her into the shower with me is not uncommon.
After some trial and error, I have a better hair care routine for the dog than for myself. Speaking of which, her groomer is harder to get in with than my own. Ha! At any rate, these are the products I use and love:
Earthbath All Natural Pet Shampoo in Oatmeal and Aloe
This has a nice scent, but is not too scented. It is gentle and she’s has no skin issues whatsoever. It also suds up nicely so a little goes a long way. I’ve only bought two bottles in three years.
I use Cowboy Magic before brushing her and after a bath. It is a great detangler and keeps her much happier when those little knots start forming that turn into mats. We really struggled with mats when she was a puppy but thankfully we don’t have too many any more. This also goes a long way and I have only purchased it once.
Miracle Care Pet Slicker Brush
Finally, this is the brush we landed on and love. I feel like it helps get knots out without scratching her skin or tugging too hard.
This one is for serious mats! What makes this comb unique is that it can get under the mats. Again, we had to use this a lot when she was a puppy and growing her adult coat, but thankfully it is only every now and then at this point.
One of things I love most about working at home is having my baby with me all.day.long. When I was struggling with having a puppy a reader wrote to me (paraphrasing) “She is just one of many things to you. You are everything to her.” That simple realization changed everything for me. She means the world to me and her love is absolutely unconditional.
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I can’t believe she’s almost 4! Wow, time really does fly! You are so lucky she doesn’t shed. My Rosie sheds constantly so we are vacuuming all the time. Of course, I have gotten so used to it that it doesn’t even bother me anymore. She’s worth it. And to think you and I were both hesitant to get puppies back in the day…look at us now! Elsa is a beauty!
Shelley
We just got a mini labradoodle about a week ago. It’s a boy and he is wearing us out! Do you have any puppy tips? I think I remember some blog posts from when you guys first got Elsa. I’ll have to search. It’s also hard because we work :(
Goodness, how has it been almost 4 years? I can’t imagine life without our girls, although I will say 3 at once is a bit much. ;-)
Ahhhh, she is so cute! We have a Cavapoo (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel – Poodle mix). And we also have a terrier whose hair is low to no maintenance. But that poodle mix equals lots of fur maintenance. I love the no-shedding, but the hair is really a job for me at home in addition to frequent visits to the groomer :)
Thank you so much for sharing! We have an almost 4 year old Cavachon (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel + Biochon) who is mostly white and curly just like Elsa! In fact, Munson (Go Dawgs!) looks much like a smaller version of Elsa. It is definitely a struggle keeping these cuties clean and mat free here in the wet and humid southeast- we live up in Rome, GA. I am going to grab some of those products and see if it makes his (and mine) life a little easier when it comes to grooming!
I love this. We have two Bluetick English Coonhounds. They are sisters from different litters, and I actually asked for the younger one to be a gift for me (and I never even wanted the first one). They have short hair, but shed. The newest girl, Pearl, is 6 months old and currently in the cone of shame after being spayed last week. Summitt, her big sister, is afraid of the puppy in the cone, so life is interesting around our house right now. It’s like having a toddler tormenting a teenager. I was inspired by your family’s addition of a dog, to finally agree to our family getting one. Now we have two, and I would have a million more. I may have actually tipped on over to the edge of insanity.
Because our girls have short hair, so there’s no matting, and we just use Burt’s Bees Oatmeal Dog Shampoo. Our vet always compliments us on how shiny their coats are.